Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How Nail Artist Rayah Naji Turns Modern Manicures Into ‘70s-Style Ads

How Nail Artist Rayah Naji Turns Modern Manicures Into ‘70s-Style Ads

Using her keen eye for vintage typography, the graphic design student and nail artist creates gorgeous imagery that’s caught the eyes of beauty fans on Instagram.

There are some decades that evoke nostalgia so potent that you can't escape their influence. The '70s is one of those time periods. The decade gave us voluminous, bouncy blowouts, the ultra-glamourous disco era, and bold, graphic liner trends that we are still salivating over today. This time around, we're seeing its influence in artist Rayah Naji's work, in which she combines her beautiful nail art and graphic design skills to create stunning "advertisements" that look like they came straight from a '70s magazine.

Naji's "ads" got a significant amount of attention when her tweet showcasing her work went viral. The caption was succinct and effective ข "my design skills 🤝 my nail art." The designs typically feature a cute manicure (like the Louis Vuitton French tips below,) with slogans rendered in retro fonts.

    

The 21-year-old artist told us that her inspiration first came from some of her design classes. (She's studying graphic design at Simmons University and will be graduating this semester.) Naji's professor frequently shared vintage magazines with the class, and she quickly fell in love with the fonts typically used in the ads from back in the day. "I prefer old advertisements to current-day ads because the products were always presented in a more appealing and entertaining way," she shares with Allure. "I like to give new life to old ideas."

Her graphic design abilities may have been honed in the classroom, but her nail art skills were not. Her prowess comes from dutifully studying other artists on YouTube and lots of practice. This year, the self-taught artist has been taking the craft more seriously. "I love graphic design, but creating art with my hands brings a different type of satisfaction," she explains.

But how exactly does she put all this beautiful work together? Naji always starts with creating the manicure (typically using gel nail polishes from The Gel Bottle) before taking photos and beginning the editing process. On average, it takes anywhere from one to two hours to get the finished image.

Down With the Swirl


    

The white, orange, yellow, and brown swirls on each coffin-shaped nail give a retro vibe to this modern manicure. The gold chunky rings are the cherry on top. For the mock ad, Naji took inspiration directly from the Diana Ross and the Supremes 20 Greatest Hits album art. On the cover, each group member's red-manicured hands are adorned with a gold "Supremes" bracelet. Using that, she "began with choosing a single image, removing the background, and multiplying the image" to come up with the finished product.

Gator-Ade


    

We may not be able to tell the difference between alligator or crocodile skin over here, but we do know that this set is gorgeous. Naji combines two popular nail trends we've seen take off: crocodile manis and gradient nails. The square tips are shaped to perfection, and we love the contrast between the deep black color and pinky hues.

Orange You Glad


    

These lengthy Aprés Gel-X extensions give the classic French manicure a welcome twist. On the pinky, index, and thumb fingers is that traditional tip with globs of white polish and tiny silver gems artfully placed on each nail. The ring and middle ombré nails remind us of creamsicles with the nude beige hue that fades to a bright orange color.

Dennis Rodman Realness


    

As a fan of the eccentric, former professional basketball player, Naji drew inspiration from Dennis Rodman's iconic hairstyles. She recreated the different designs on an oval-shaped, French manicure because the tips "resembled a hairline". She discovered an old hair-color advertisement featuring Rodman from the December 1996 issue of Mad Magazine while scrolling through Tumblr and used that as the perfect template. In her remake of the ad, she changes all the text and replaces his face on the box with the unique neon manicure. We hope Rodman gets to see this tribute.

Steady Hands


    

It's amazing how Naji combined beautiful pink, teal, and brown shades to create a tie-dye effect that doesn't look like a muddy mess. We also love how she shaped this pastel set with a tapered squoval tip. If you look closely, you'll notice tiny Swavorski rhinestones on each nail, adding just the perfect touch of bling to this mani.

You can follow Rayah Naji on Instagram and Twitter to see more of her creative nail ads. We know we'll be watching to see what dope designs she dreams up next.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×